Chemical Education Today
Book & Media Reviews
edited by
Jeffrey Kovac University of Tennessee Knoxville, TN 37996-1600
Foundations of Inorganic Chemistry (Oxford Chemistry Primer No. 94) by Mark J. Winter and John E. Andrew Oxford University Press, Inc.: New York, NY, 2001, 96 pp. ISBN 0-19-879288 3 (paperback), $15.95 Reviewed by Hilary J. Eppley
Foundations of Inorganic Chemistry is a book in the everexpanding, popular, and affordable Oxford Chemistry Primer series. This book is designed to serve as a reference for sixth form students in the British system getting ready to take their “A” levels or students in their first year of college. Since the U.S. educational system lags behind its British counterpart, this book would be appropriate for students in or after the first year of college. Unlike two previous Primers by Mingos with the similar sounding title, Essentials of Inorganic Chemistry 1 & 2, this book is not made up of lists of definitions, but rather claims to be a cohesive presentation of inorganic chemistry for lower level audiences. The book is separated into six chapters: Elements and the Periodic Table; Bonding; Hydrogen; and s-, p-, and dBlock Elements. The book is not referenced internally, nor does it have any homework problems, but it does give a list of 19 references for Further Reading at the end of the book. The preface states that “[i]t is anticipated that this book find its place alongside textbooks containing more detailed coverage.” The authors leave nearly all of the more theoretical material on bonding out of their discussion, so that if student wanted to know the “why” (Why do the p orbitals hold six electrons? Why do the transition metals lose their s electrons before their d electrons?), they would have to look to another source. Although the book contains much interesting material that might not be found in standard general chemistry texts (or even in some inorganic texts), the book’s major drawback is that the topics often are presented in what seem to be non-intuitive places. Although each chapter starts out slowly, it moves very quickly to much higher levels. The first chapter covers atomic structure, the periodic table, and basic periodic trends. In it, for instance, very basic ideas about the structure of the atom are described (it contains a positively charged nucleus and negative electrons), but electron configurations are presented without any information about energy levels and the relative order of filling of those levels. Because of the gaps, this book would not be an appropriate place for students to get their first exposure to these ideas, although it might be useful for review. The second chapter, on bonding, is somewhat a misnomer in that it actually contains a great deal of structural information on metallic and ionic compounds but almost no discussion of the actual bonding in these compounds. Conversely, the discussion of covalent compounds progresses quickly from Lewis structures to the idea that orbitals with electrons can overlap to form a bond. However, discussion
of structure of covalent compound via VSEPR theory is delayed until Chapter 5. In fact, hybridization is introduced in Chapter 2 as a way to get the proper bond angles without any mention of why the elements form a molecule with a particular bond angle in the first place. The idea of resonance structures and orbitals delocalized over several atoms is also not included. I found the discussion of oxidation states in this chapter particularly confusing, as Li is said “to oxidize” and F is said “to reduce” when what is meant is that Li is oxidized and F is reduced. This statement might be particularly confusing to students who already have a tough time remembering the difference between the two concepts. Chapter 3 contains a host of widely different information relating to the element hydrogen. It covers the descriptive chemistry of hydrogen and various hydrides, as well as industrial preparation and uses of nitric and sulfuric acid. The detailed discussion of where hydrogen belongs on the periodic table is particularly insightful in putting its properties in context. A brief discussion of acids and bases is also included in Chapter 3. The authors’ detailed mechanistic treatment of acid–base chemistry from the molecular perspective is particularly good. Unfortunately, however, few concrete examples of acid–base reactions are given here. As in all subsequent chapters, the authors make liberal use of tables of thermodynamic properties and Born–Haber diagrams to explain the descriptive chemistry. The s-block and p-block elements are the focus of the next two chapters. The authors give many useful tables of physical and chemical properties of these elements and their compounds. Periodic trends are reiterated in the context of both the alkali and alkaline earth elements in Chapter 4 and the entire main group in Chapter 5. In the latter the authors tackle the irregularities in trends in ionization energy and electron affinity. The factors that influence the strength of the metallic and ionic bonding are covered in Chapter 4, while VSEPR is actually introduced in Chapter 5. (Oddly, those topics are not mentioned, even in a general sense, in the actual chapter on bonding!) The chapters discuss a few fairly advanced chemical issues such as why LiCl is soluble in organic solvents and why some alkali and alkaline earth metals form peroxides and superoxides and others do not. The chapter includes an interesting comparison of the properties and formulas of fluorides and hydrides as you go across the periodic table. Lots of interesting descriptive chemistry, including environmentally related information on ozone and radon, is provided—more than is typical of many general chemistry texts today. This information could be tapped for chemical vignettes to emphasize the actual properties of strange molecules like XeO3 that students use in bonding examples! The final chapter on the d-block elements is where the book is strongest and most useful as a stand-alone text. Chapter 6 gives an overview of crystal field theory, acid–base reactions of transition metals, and nomenclature of coordination complexes. This chapter also contains many higher-level topics that would be absent from general chemistry texts. There is very detailed discussion of the acidic properties of TM in aqueous solution with a variety of bases of different strengths.
JChemEd.chem.wisc.edu • Vol. 80 No. 2 February 2003 • Journal of Chemical Education
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Chemical Education Today
Book & Media Reviews Ligand substitution reactions, bi- and multidentate ligands, pi donor ligands, including ferrocene, are briefly covered. A detailed explanation of Eo values and ways to predict and balance redox reactions is also provided. Examples of redox catalysis are included in the discussion. Bioinorganic, medicinal chemistry, catalysis, and photography applications are also treated briefly. Although some aspects of the organization of Foundations of Inorganic Chemistry would likely be confusing to students, there are a number of things that this book does very well. It is a great source for Born–Haber data on a number of systems for instructors who are looking for examples or test questions. The book’s most unique contributions are its treatments of acid–base chemistry of the transition metal ions and redox reactions. Foundations is at about the right level
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to use as a supplement to introduce transition metal chemistry and descriptive chemistry to an honors-level general chemistry course. I personally found several ideas for labs, demonstrations, and discussion topics from its detailed discussions of reactions and their mechanisms. Since the price is low and it is a relatively quick read, I recommend at least a brief perusal of its information. However, for a cohesive discussion of bonding and periodic properties at an Oxford Primer price, I think that the better choice is Winter’s own book on Chemical Bonding (Oxford Chemistry Primer No. 15. Mark J. Winter, Oxford, 1994; ISBN 0198556942). Hilary J. Eppley is a member of the Chemistry Department, DePauw University, Greencastle, IN 46135;
[email protected] Journal of Chemical Education • Vol. 80 No. 2 February 2003 • JChemEd.chem.wisc.edu
